


Undercut

by Lucca_Kane



Series: Coif [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Haircuts, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, penguin documentaries, ultimate snuggling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucca_Kane/pseuds/Lucca_Kane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three weeks since Carlos told Cecil he wouldn't cut his hair, and he can't take it anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undercut

**Author's Note:**

> Dylan Marron is so cute and his hair is perfect so I decided Carlos needed a haircut.
> 
> This is non beta'd, any mistakes are my own.

                Carlos blew the same piece of hair out of his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. He sighed and set down the beakers he had been closely watching. He slipped his gloves off with a slightly irritated pull and reached for the hair tie holding his ever increasing ponytail back away from his face. Lately it really hadn't been doing its job, and Carlos's bangs were at the point where they were stabbing him in the eyes even through his glasses but they weren't long enough to pull back into the ponytail. He had even resorted to hairclips to keep the unruly pieces back. He gathered his hair back once again, trying to get as many pieces as he could before deftly slipping the hair tie around the mass of hair.

                Three weeks ago he had decided that he wouldn't cut his hair, for Cecil's sake. The radio host just loved his hair so much, and was so pleased that Carlos had decided not to. The radio host of course had broadcast his happiness on his show, and the other scientists he worked with laughed and playfully jabbed at him like they always did when Cecil mentioned him. Carlos vehemently denied that he blushed when Cecil did so, but his colleagues assured him otherwise.

                Carlos let out another tired sigh and trudged over to the sink to wash his hands. Sure he was wearing gloves but you never knew what to expect with Night Vale. He shook out his hands and reached for the paper towel when a familiar sight filled his vision, "You have got to be kidding me." he said, his eyes crossing slightly to look at the piece of hair that dangled in front of his nose.

                A couple of laughs from behind him made Carlos drop his head, absolutely _not_ blushing. He was a scientist dammit! He tossed the balled up paper towel in the bin with a little more malice than he should have and turned on his heel to return to his station, slipping his gloves back on and pushing up the frames of his glasses with his uncovered wrist.  He reached for the beakers again, but not without a frustrated blow of air to try to get the annoying piece of hair out of his vision.

                Another round of laughs made Carlos groan, furrowing his brow as he tried to focus on mixing and measuring the fluids in the beakers. He gently poured the contents of one beaker into the other, very slowly just in case the mixture was volatile in any way, shape, or form. When the mixture started to turn a bright almost ectoplasm green and smell of sour apple candies, Carlos took a step back to take notes. He removed his gloves and reached for his phone in his lab coat. Since the City Council's ban on writing utensils, Carlos had taken to electronic methods to take his experiment notes. He mostly used a voice recorder, but sometimes he simply jotted the notes down in his phone or computer notepad. As he unlocked the screen to his phone, absently pushing his stray lock behind his ear without much success, Carlos noticed he had a text from Cecil.

_From: Cecil <3_

_Would you like to watch a documentary about penguins at my apartment tonight? <3_

Carlos allowed himself to smile and quickly texted back.

 

                _To: Cecil <3_

_Why penguins?_

                While waiting for Cecil's response, Carlos quickly typed his findings in a note and saved it. Just as soon as he slipped the phone back into his pocket it buzzed again.

               

                _From: Cecil <3_

_We have to know what they are capable of, Carlos! Just in case._

                Carlos chuckled, "Of course." Cecil was always saying weird things like that. Like how mountains didn't exist when there were _clearly_ mountains visible off in the distance from the town. Carlos was still sore over the _debate_ -absolutely not an argument-he had had with Cecil about the subject. He had even gone so far as to drive to the city limits and sit with Cecil on the trunk of his car and very pointedly point them out. Cecil had still denied their existence and had given Carlos a little pat to his head like one would when reassuring a child.

                Carlos sighed and ran a hand through his bangs as he answered the text, cursing slightly when the pieces that could barely fit into the ponytail slipped out. 

  
                _To: Cecil <3_

_Sounds great._

 

                It didn't even take Cecil a minute to answer, which made Carlos chuckle.

               

                _From: Cecil <3_

_How does six o'clock sound? We can start at a time divisible by three and still have dinner!_

Carlos sighed and shook his head, texting back a simple-

               

                _To: Cecil <3_

_See you then…… <3_

He had put the heart there on a whim and sent it before he had a chance to erase it, practically shoving his phone back into the pocket of his lab coat. He was sure Cecil would be ecstatic over it. He checked his watch and nodded. Six o'clock would give him enough time to work for a little longer, go home, shower, and change his clothes before heading to Cecil's apartment. "Texting Cecil?" one of his co-workers asked, making Carlos start.

                "Uh yeah." he said, curling that same unruly piece behind his ear, blushing softly.

                His co-worker must've noticed the motion, since they said, "If it bothers you that much you should cut it."

                Carlos made a face. He knew he should cut it. He _wanted_ to cut it. Yet the idea of Cecil's reaction absolutely kept him from doing it. If he ran Telly the Barber out of town for just giving him a trim-it was much less drastic than Cecil had described-then what would Cecil do if he even cut a single hair himself? Probably burst into tears and claim that Carlos was absolutely the worst boyfriend in the world for ruining his perfect hair. "I know it's just-"

                "It's _your_ hair, Carlos." they pointed out, raising their brow.

                "He likes it long." Carlos shrugged, as if the case was closed.

                His coworker made a face, obviously still thinking about the matter even when Carlos believed the subject was no longer up for discussion. Maybe if he trimmed it only a little bit Cecil wouldn't notice? Oh who was he kidding, Cecil noticed when he had changed soaps from three feet away and Carlos had showered the night before, of course he was going to notice a change in his favorite part of Carlos. The thought made Carlos frown. "What about an undercut?" the question pulled Carlos out of his thoughts.

                "A what?" Carlos may be a scientist but there were even things that _he_ had never heard of.  

                "It's a haircut," they laughed, typing something into their computer and turning it around. Carlos leaned forward to look at the screen, adjusting his glasses slightly so he could see better. "It's cut in a way where it's longer on the top and short on the sides and the back."

                Carlos made a face. How the hell did that even work, but when he saw the pictures, he understood. He made a face though, these were all young models and he sure as hell wasn't one of those, "I don’t think-"

                "Think about it. It's short on the sides and back so you don't have to pull it back, but it's still long enough on the top for Cecil to grip." They joked, making Carlos's face flush.

                "We haven't even-"

                "Just _think_ about it, Carlos." his co-worker said with a sly smile, turning their computer back around, going back to their work.

                Carlos turned back to his station, making a face and chewing on the inside of his lip. Maybe it was a good idea. It made sense. There wouldn't be any long pieces hanging in his line of vision, but Cecil could still run his fingers through it. He sighed, still thinking back to the last time he had cut his hair. Cecil would definitely freak out. On the other hand if Carlos did it without telling Cecil first, what could the man do about it? On the other hand that was really underhanded and would be mean to Cecil. On another hand it _was_ Carlos's hair and he was a grown scientist, dammit! He should be able to cut his hair if he wanted to! But on the other hand he really didn't like making Cecil upset or sad and this would definitely do both. "Is there even a barber in town anymore since Telly got you know, angry mobbed out of town?" he asked suddenly, turning to his co-worker, who still had that sly smile on their face.

                "Not one that will cut _your_ hair. There are flyers inside with your picture that say, 'Do not cut this man's hair under penalty of law.' in every hair cutting place in town." they said casually.

                Carlos sighed and rubbed his temples, "Cecil…"

                "He cares about you."

                Carlos made a face, "He cares about my _hair_ ," he bit out.

                His co-worker blinked and looked up from their work, "So cut it. If he cares about only your hair then you're better off without him, Carlos."

                Carlos hated to admit it but they were sort of right. It seemed like all Cecil cared about was his hair, or his teeth or his voice or any other aspect of his looks that Cecil claimed was, 'perfect.' "How the hell am I supposed to cut it then, anyway? I can't do it myself," he gestured vaguely to his locks, a sour look crossing his features.

                His co-worker smiled, "I can do it for you. I cut my friends' hair all of the time."

                Carlos looked back at them, "Well this couldn't possibly go wrong at all, then."

                His co-worker simply smiled, "Your vote of confidence is overwhelming."

 

\--

                Cecil checked the time one more time, making sure he had everything ready for when Carlos would arrive. Dinner was practically ready and should be at a perfect temperature for eating at 6'oclock, Netflix was already queued up with the penguin documentary, and Cecil had dragged an almost unnecessary amount of pillows and blankets out of the hall closet which the faceless old woman who lived in his house left a note about. She claimed that they didn’t need blankets since they lived in the desert, but Cecil had insisted that he and Carlos needed to reach maximum amount of snuggling tonight and how were they supposed to do that if there was no blanket to snuggle under? The faceless old woman didn't debate the subject further, but reminded Cecil that he was out of milk and should really get more.

                Cecil was practically bouncing on his toes from the anxiousness of Carlos coming over to his apartment. It happened almost every time and it was very hard for Cecil not to go over his checklist thirty more times in the span of the five minute Carlos was sure to be here. He checked his watch one more time anyway. He sighed, it seemed like the clocks were getting performance anxiety again and wouldn't move if you looked at them. On tonight of all nights!

                But nevertheless, a few minutes later, a soft specific pattern that Cecil recognized broke the silence. Cecil practically ran to the door, stopping short and composing himself with a deep breath. He brushed down his shirt, removing the nonexistent wrinkles from it and opening the door as calmly as he could. "Hi, Carlos!" he said as the door swung open, "I'm glad you're here! Are you hungry? I made some stir fry since it's not wheat or a wheat byproduct and-"

                Carlos was expecting Cecil to take a moment to absorb his pretty drastic haircut, but what he didn't expect was the rather…inhuman screeching noise that exited Cecil's mouth when he opened it again. "Cecil?" Carlos asked slowly, but speaking only seemed to make the screeching worse. Carlos reached forward and put his hands on Cecil's shoulders, "Cecil!" he said, shaking the other man slightly when the screeching continued to escalate. He was starting to worry because Cecil was so pale he was practically white and he hadn't taken a breath yet and the screeching was bound to attract attention since Carlos was still technically standing outside of Cecil's apartment, so Carlos sort of shuffled in, forcibly pushing Cecil in. Carlos turned and shut the door as quickly as he could as to hopefully not attract any more attention than they already had. Cecil was still screeching and Carlos finally turned, "Would you stop, please?" he was surprised at how harsh the statement sounded and regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth since Cecil's mouth shut with an audible click.

                Cecil was looking at him with wide eyes, breathing rather harshly through his nose and clenching his hands at his sides. When he opened his mouth again, Carlos half expected the screeching to return, but actual words came out of the radio host's mouth this time, "Carlos?" he asked, his voice meek.

                Carlos sighed and shook his head slightly in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. Cecil's eyes followed the motion, but Carlos couldn't discern what emotion was in Cecil's eyes when he did, "Yeah, it's me, Cecil."

                Cecil was quiet again for a long moment, "You cut your hair," the observation was uttered perhaps even quieter than the last.

                "Yes, Cecil. I cut my hair." Carlos knew he sounded irritated, but he couldn’t help it! The only thing Cecil ever cared about was his hair.

                "Why?" Cecil practically squeaked, stiffly standing just out of arms length of Carlos, as if he didn't want the scientist to touch him.    

                "Because I couldn't take it anymore, Cecil!" Carlos snapped, "I can't- I can't stand my hair long, Cecil! It frustrates me and gets in my way and I just- I can't do it, Cecil. So I cut it, ok?"

                "Oh," was all Cecil said. The mutter was nearly inaudible, and he seemed to have curled in on himself, an embarrassed flush spreading across his face. Carlos took the time to note that it wasn't quite as pink as it should be for a man as pale as Cecil. It looked almost…purple.

                Carlos sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, "I'm sorry I snapped at you Cecil." he said.

                There was a long pause before Cecil uttered, "It's ok." He was still tense and standing away from Carlos, eyeing his hair like something had sprouted out of his head, and knowing Night Vale that probably was a common occurrence.

                Carlos shook his head and took a step toward Cecil, frowning when Cecil almost flinched back. Another rush of frustration ran through him, but he pushed it down, taking a deep breath and looking Cecil in the eyes. Well, as well as he could with Cecil only half glancing at his hair every few seconds as if he believed it would return to normal and this as all some sort of dream. "No, it's not ok. You're my boyfriend and I shouldn’t have snapped at you."Cecil's eyes finally snapped up to connect with Carlos's, the orbs wide as he stared Carlos down. "What?" Carlos asked, quickly glancing down at himself.

                "That's the first time you've ever called me that." He replied, his tone still quiet but not as frightened as before.

                Carlos's expression softened and he rubbed the back of his head, "I guess so."

                There were a few moments of tense silence as the two men stood with one another, feeling more like they were just two people occupying the same space instead of boyfriends supposedly having a date night. "I'm sorry I screamed." Cecil finally said, seeming to relax slightly, "It just surprised me. After the incident with Telly I thought maybe-"

                "That I would never cut my hair again?"

                "That you would let it be perfect again." Cecil admitted, his face flushing in that weird purple way. He rubbed a bicep and avoided Carlos's gaze, which had turned a little sour again.

                "So I guess looks are all that really matter, huh?" Carlos breathed, unable to keep the venom from leaking into his words.

                Cecil's head snapped up again and he gave Carlos one of the most heart breaking expressions Carlos had ever seen on another person, "No." was all Cecil had to say though, as if the very idea of any aspect of Carlos wasn't perfect.

                Carlos pursed his lips and shook his head, "My perfect hair and my perfect teeth and my perfect skin and my perfect _whatever_." he practically growled, "That's all you ever talk about. That's all you ever care about."

                Cecil shook his head, "Carlos, no I-"

                "Do you want to know why I cut my hair?" Carlos suddenly asked, pinning a look on Cecil that was none too kind.

                Cecil's eyes widened and he shook his head, his expression confused, "You said-"

                "I know what I said." Carlos frowned, "But I think the real reason I cut my hair was to see what you would do. To see how you would react. When I took one of the things you thought were perfect and ruin it." he took a step forward. "I wanted to see if you could still tolerate me when I wasn't perfect anymore."

                Cecil shook his head again; his confused look starting to look rather horrified, "Carlos I-"

                Carlos interrupted him again, "Based on your reaction of literally _screeching_ at me, I'd say that my looks are all you care about."

                It was Cecil's turn to be angry now, "That's not true, Carlos!"

                "Then why did you scream? Why did it look like you were going to explode when you saw me? Why did you flinch away from me? Why are you still so tense and far away from me? Face it, Cecil." Carlos's voice was rising in volume, but he couldn't help it. This was a problem that had been festering and festering for far too long and now that the pot was boiling over there was nothing to stop him now. "You don't love me for anything more than my looks and now that they're different you can't handle it! For Christ's sake Cecil, it's a _haircut_! If you're so shallow and concerned with my looks that a _haircut_ makes you react this way-a _haircut_ Cecil!-then I can't be with you! I can't be with a person when all they care about is how I look. Even if I care about that person so very much. I can't, Cecil. I can't."

                Carlos was practically panting, tears forming in his eyes at the sheer frustration and insecurity and _hurt_ that he felt. It was all on the table now and he couldn't take it back. He didn't _want_ to take it back. Cecil only stared at him, quiet for a very long moment before speaking, "Are you actually going to let me talk without interrupting me?" he asked, surprising Carlos with the amount of spite that came from the Radio Host. Carlos made a face, scoffing and shaking his head in disbelief at the other man. All that and that's what he had to say? Unbelievable. "Because I'd actually like to get a word in edgewise before you shut me down again."

                Unbelievable. Absolutely and in all other ways unbelievable. "What do you have to say, Cecil?" Carlos asked, straightening and crossing his arms over his chest. Cecil had better be about to say something good.

                "I don't love you for just your looks, Carlos. That could not be more from the truth." Cecil said, eerily calm. He was still tense but his voice did not waver. Carlos bet he was in, 'Radio Host' mode, trying to stay calm.

                Carlos scoffed him again, "Really? Then I want you to do something. Tell me _one thing_ that you like about me that doesn't have to do with how I look."

                Cecil's expression softened despite his anger. He took a deep breath and let it out before continuing, "I love the way you exist, Carlos. The way you carry yourself like you think that no one could notice a person as magnificent as you. You're so dedicated to your work and what you do for Night Vale. You've saved our town from malevolent forces more than anyone else ever has. I love the way that even if you've had a long day in the lab you're still willing to see me. You're willing to go along with whatever cockamamie idea I have in store for us. I love how you'll watch documentaries with me even if you haven't slept in a few days, and I love how you sometimes fall asleep on my shoulder when we're watching." Cecil's face was starting to flush, and his eyes were shining with unshed tears, "I love how you talk, and how you say things. Even someone like me who talks for their career, is blown away by some of the things you say. And I love that you've embraced Night Vale and all of it's quirks…even me."

                Carlos could only stare as the tears finally broke, and started to run down Cecil's cheeks unabashed, the look on the other man's face practically breaking his heart, "Cecil-"

                But the Radio Host interrupted him, "And I know that sometimes I seem like all I care about is how you look but I can't _help_ it Carlos. Everything about you is perfect to me. I love your hair, your smile, your voice, the color of your skin. I love the way that when you've done something you're proud of you'll smile in a way that just the corners of your mouth will turn up and your eyes will crinkle slightly. I love how you'll smile and laugh with me in a way I don't think I've seen you do with other people." Cecil chuckled ruefully, wiping a tear away with the back of his hand, "And I even love how you chew a little louder than is socially acceptable, and when you get excited about something you'll accidentally talk with your mouth full, and get embarrassed when you realize." Cecil bit his lip, his voice cracking, "My initial attraction to you may have been only superficial and based on appearances, Carlos, but when the day came where you almost died in the tiny city under lane five, I realized that I cared about you so much more than for just your looks. The idea of you bleeding out down there when I could do nothing about it almost destroyed me, and when I found out you had been saved I almost thought that my heart would give out with how elated I was to know that you were okay." He then looked Carlos in the eye, "And when you called me saying that you wanted to see me, see _me_ first after everything that happened, I realized that I love you."

                A tear slid down Carlos's cheek. How in the world could he have ever thought that Cecil didn't care for him? What was he, blind? "I'm so stupid," he breathed, putting his face in his hands.

                Cecil went to him, tears still streaming down his own face as he grasped at Carlos's shoulders, "And the thing that I love about you most of all, Carlos, is you love me," he said, sniffing softly.

                Carlos couldn't look at him. How could he have been such an idiot? "I'm so sorry, Cecil," He sobbed, almost clutching at his own face when he felt cold hands trying to pull his own away from his crying eyes.

                Cecil was persistent, and gently extricated Carlos's hands from his face, his expression going sad as he watched Carlos cry, "I'm sorry too, Carlos," he whispered. Carlos reached forward and pulled Cecil too him, burying his face into Cecil's shoulder, cradling the other man's head as he cried against him. Cecil clutched at Carlos's lab coat, not wanting to let go for anything. "Can you forgive me?" Cecil asked softly.

                Carlos hiccupped and pulled back just enough to look Cecil in the eyes, "I already have." He then smiled in that way Cecil loved, with the corners of his mouth turned up and the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, "I love you Cecil Palmer."

                Cecil smiled back, sniffing, "I love you too Carlos the Scientist."

               

                They did eventually get to have their date night; eating their dinner, watching the penguin documentary and achieving maximum snuggling just as Cecil wanted. 

                And at one point in the night, Carlos was surprised to feel Cecil's hand running through his hair, a small smile his face as he leaned his head on Carlos's shoulder. Carlos smiled, putting his head on Cecil's, turning his attention back to the documentary, his smile widening when Cecil gasped at the penguins frolicking after a butterfly.

 

                


End file.
